B.C. watchdog investigating death of off-duty police officer in Langley

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has been called to Langley to probe the death of an off-duty police officer Wednesday afternoon.

According to a statement, the watchdog was told by local Mounties that police had been called to a business in the 9900-block of 201 Street to try and locate a "man reportedly in distress" at a local business.

The IIO says the man who died has been identified as a member of the Surrey Police Service.

"(He) sustained a serious injury that appears to have been self-inflicted while police were in the building," the agency's statement says. "The man was subsequently pronounced deceased."

SPS spokesperson Ian MacDonald confirms the man was an SPS officer and says the force is now in mourning.

“We want to acknowledge that a member of our organization has passed away, that these are tragic circumstances and we want to support the other officers and civilians that are part of our organization, as well as those who are grieving in our community, including the member’s family,” he told CTV News.

MacDonald said the officer joined the force in May 2022, describing him as a “valuable and contributing member” who worked on the front lines.

The man was also the subject of a Surrey RCMP investigation, and he had been suspended with pay since mid-August 2022.

On Aug. 17, the SPS sent a news release about a member accused of breach of trust. 

Sources tell CTV News this officer was the centre of a breach of trust investigation. The SPS confirms the officer who died Wednesday was being investigated by the Surrey RCMP but will never have an opportunity to have the matter dealt with.

“When a police officer signs up for this very challenging career in which they never know what is going to be around the corner, they never know what is in front of them. And sometimes those challenges require that you reach out and ask for help from friends and family,” MacDonald said.

“My message would be that if you are friends or family, and anybody reaches out, whether they're a police officer or not, you do everything you can to help them,” he said.

“I think our responsibility as family members, I think our responsibility as employers, I think our responsibility as a community is to look out for each other and where we can look for ways to help those that need help, regardless of what they do as an occupation,” he said.

Surrey’s mayor offered her condolences.

“It is difficult and tragic to hear of the death of a first responder,” Brenda Locke wrote in a statement. “On behalf of Surrey City Council, we extend our deepest sympathies to the officer’s family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time.”

The IIO has launched an investigation underway to see whether the police played a role in the death

Anyone with information who has not spoken to investigators is asked to call investigators at 1-855-446-8477.

A significant police presence with members from several forces spanning Lower Mainland forces was observed in the area. Authorities have not said which business was involved in the incident, however, there is a shooting range on the block called The Range.

At the time of the incident, several members of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police were also at the shooting range conducting firearms training in an adjacent part of the building, Const. Amanda Steed confirmed.

She said no transit police officers were hurt or directly involved in the incident.

A Facebook post from The Range announced that it was closing for the day.